Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-11-18
JUDGMENT AND MERCY.
EXPLANATORY NOTES BY REV. GEO.
P. HAYS, D, D., IL. D.
Lesson VIII Of the International Series
Fourth Quarter) for Nov. aO-Text of
the Lesson, Matt. ri, 5000; Golden Text,
Matt. xi, 2S.


explain. This lesson is one of these Verses
1926, and especially %, 30 and 80, have come
to be like proverbs in the mind of the church.
and % to 30 ought to be in the memory of
every Christian. OF course, a landlord will
expect larger rent from the tenant Of his
large and fruitful farm than from the tenant
of tho little cabin, with only its potato patch
in addition. So also, of course increased op-
portunities increase responsibilities. This is
simply the common sense of business and
daily life applied to religion
Mighty works-With these verses before
US our curiosity is excited to ask what mighty
works were done in Chorazin, Bethsaida and
Capernaum. AS to Chorazin there is no
record whatsoever of any works done there.
The same is true Of Bethsaida. As is stated
In John xxi, 70, all Christ's miracles are
not reported in the New Testament or
Chorazin scarcely anything is known. Beth
saida was possibly the birthplace of Peter
Andrew and Philip Capernaum was the
home of Christ and at the time of the public
ministry the residence of Peter Many things
are recorded as having been done or spoken
In Capernaum- OF Capernaum, however,
this Is to be noted, that it is not once men,
TONED In the Old Testament, nor anywhere
outside of the four Gospels in the New Testa-
ment
Degrees Of punishment % and "a
explicitly teach the doctrine of comparatiye
punishment. Gods system of penalties is not
like prison wall or furnace of fire. where
every one suffers precisely the same Accord
ing to each ones desert, so will be the severity
of each ones suffering. The Revised Version
translates the word hell of " % by the word
hades. Two Greek words are translated
In the Authorized Version of the New Testa-
ment by the English word hell. In the Re-
vlsed Version the distinction between these
two Greek words is maintained by translat-
ing the one Of them hades This word, like
the sheol Of the Old Testament, means the
condition of the dead, without necessarily in
volving the idea of suffering. Christ entered
into hades by his becoming dead, but did not
enter into hell Hades as here applied to
Capernaum, means its disappearance from
the face of the earth as buried people disap-
pear. Tyre and Sidon and Sodom had not
as much light and opportunity as Chorazin
ana bethsalda and Capernaum, but they had
enough TO leave them without excuse The
enormousness of the punishment of Chorazin.
bethsalda and Capernaum is shown In the
fact that their locality is a matter of dispute
among travellers of the present day. But the
sites of Tyre and Sidon are known and inhab-
tied towns still exist in both places
This doctrine of the resulting obligations
arising from providential mercies underlies
verse % Wisdom often works itself out into
an egotism which destroys the simple Gospel.
verse 70 is the only explanation which we
are able to give of the unrevealed reasons for
Gods distinguishing providences A deaf
ana dumb boy was once asked why he was so
af1lcted while his questioner had both speech
and hearing. Going to the blackboard, he
81 fxxa, ui 4,
Happy is the Christian, old or young, who
is able to rest content In the presence of
Gods mysterious dealings, in the faith in
volved in that verse.
God manifested.-God manifest in the flesh
is the highest and clearest revelation God
has made. The indwelling OF the Saviour,
as matter OF experience, is the best inter
prefer OF the description of Christ and of
God given in the word. The external revela-
ton and the internal experience are thus
mutually explanatory. A blind man has
great difficulty in understanding much about
the science Of optics. So unconverted per-
sons may study the Bible, but they cannot
understand it as those do whose inward ex-
perience answers to and explains the mean
ing of Gods threatenings and promises.
What is rest THAT is really work that
works out only into disappointment and fail
ure. Labor is the active side of suffering, and
heavy laden is it's passive SIDE Lifting when
we ore well is not necessarily very painful,
especially if the burden is not disproportion-
ately heavy; but il we have q dislocAted
shoulder and a broken arm and an inhamed
muscle, any lifting is torture We were made
to work in harmony with God. When then
we come to resist him, we are wrenching and
twisting Ourselves, To do Gods will was the
work for which man was made. When there
fore Christ says, II will give you rest " he
does not mean that thereafter you shall have
nothing whatever to do. Spiritual inactivity,
which IL neither good nor bad, il an impossi-
bility to any human being. What we need
: therefore is not idlenes, but work which
, shall not be WEAKNESS
Christ's rest.-So Christ's eKhortation
learn 81 me" Ii in the line Of this perfect
adaptation Of the worker to his work The
r yoke he bore was the will Of his Father, and
In his meekness and his lowliness of heart il
was his meat to do this will and to finish the
work which he was sent to do. That yoke
was easy TO him and that burden light t.
q him. 1t goes therefore to the heart of the
question Of our likeness to Christ when ht
says TO us, "my yoke is easy and my burden
' is Light" He does not merely mean the yoke
: and the burden which he will give to hi
e in the phrase my yoke and my burden" thu
yoke and burden he himself has borne. Ii
:, order, however to find these easy it is neces
sary that we should take ON his nature, hi
;, love for God and his hatred for sin. Thi
v burden will be heavy to the unrenewec
heart, but it will be light to the unregenerat
nature. In him, therefore, alone can tina
adaptation to the task we have to do be Sc
cured which will make these tasks easy o
e performance.
-, REMEMBER
l. Willfulness, not lack of evidence, is tn
cause Of unbelief.
o O. The day of judgment will come.
# g. Many who are exalted will be brough
:. low
4. God reveals spiritual truth to thos
Z ready to receive 1t.
d s. We know God through Christ
II G In Christ Is rest.
. HINTS FOR PRIMARY CLASSES.